Akita (THURSDAY, JANUARY 24TH / 10 PM EST / 7 PM PST)

CLYW - Akita

Named for the cute artwork that comes with it, Akita is a big dog at over 48mm!

CLYW seems obsessed with naming their yo-yos using outdoor themes, and has finally released a model named for a Japanese creature: the Akita dog. It's bimetal with an inner rim weight, and is the signature model for Mark Mangarin of Scales Collective, who is deep into contest judging and has even created their own custom clicker systems.

With a decidedly wide stance, the Akita is as playful as its namesake, and is also quite cute to match. Like the dog, Akita is big when placed next to other models, but at 48mm wide, carries its weight well and doesn't overwhelm your hand. The inner rim design is similar to the Kodiak, and has a sense of control that feels more like a monometal design. A wide body means it can be fitted with a wide rim, so although the weight looks thin, there's quite a bit of mass to it, and the Akita takes full advantage of that design.

The cute little Akita (the dog) badge button that comes as a bonus gift is also SUPER cute!

Official Description
The Akita is the first signature model for Mark Mangarin, and we knew it had to be amazing.

Mark is your favorite player's favorite player. His trick construction is always unique and boundary breaking, and his work with the Scales Collective consistently pushes modern technical yoyoing forward in a way that is inspiring and difficult to keep up with. We knew that a signature return top for him had to be incredible, but with his unique style we had to bridge the gap between comfy Caribou-style and raw performance.

So, we did.

The Akita's fat rims feel amazing in the hand, bringing back memories of the Chief and the Avalanche. They taper sharply enough that they increase the play area tremendously, giving you a full 40 mm of catch zone...perfect for those big body moves and tricky horizontal catches.

The bi-metal rings push a ton of weight to the far outer rim of the return top, and combined with the extreme width of the Akita they make nearly anything possible. Mark is constantly pushing the limits of trick construction, and now he has a return top that can handle anything he can think of.

Each Akita ships with a Fat Kitty String and a limited edition hard enamel pin.